Guwahati: As rapid, unplanned urban growth squeezes open spaces, city residents are turning to the sky to reclaim a touch of nature. Balconies, rooftops, and other overlooked corners of residential buildings are being converted into compact green retreats, bringing plants back into daily life.Urban gardening enthusiasts say the shift marks a departure from the traditional idea of planting trees only in available ground spaces. Instead, residents are repurposing unused surfaces to grow vegetables, herbs and ornamental plants using pots and other setups. In congested neighbourhoods where land is scarce, these small patches are emerging as practical alternatives.“If we see 30 years ago, houses typically featured blue and green spaces, such as ponds, kitchen gardens, and front lawns, promoting a carbon-neutral lifestyle. Today, however, lifestyles have become more carbon-positive, resulting in higher carbon emissions, and urban farming offers a potential solution to mitigate these emissions and help move back toward a carbon-neutral lifestyle,” said Ankuran Pathak, a citizen of Guwahati who practices urban gardening.Pathak said rapid concretisation has made tree planting more urgent, citing its role in mitigating the urban heat island effect, reducing concentrated smoke and lowering ambient temperatures. He said urban farming remains a small step but contributes to cooling through carbon sequestration and evapotranspiration, and could be strengthened through public awareness and clearer building-bylaw guidance on plant choices and space allocation.“Along with open-space landscaping, mandating vegetative rooftops in new buildings can significantly improve urban environmental quality. To implement this effectively, a clear policy framework should be established, guiding building designs and specifying standards for green roof development,” he also said.Residents involved in urban gardening say the benefits extend beyond aesthetics. Urmi Buragohain, a Guwahati resident and an urban planner, said growing basic vegetables at home supports self-sufficiency, reduces costs and lowers carbon footprint. She added that more households are composting kitchen waste and reusing it as organic manure, cutting down on garbage.“These activities benefit mental health, as spending just 15 minutes in green spaces can be restorative. This is particularly important given the shrinking green areas in the city. We can also safeguard the ecosystem, including microorganisms and insects, by maintaining and sustaining green spaces and urban gardens. For example, planting native flowering plants supports pollinators like bees and butterflies, while also enriching soil microorganisms that improve soil health,” Buragohain said.
